In The Media

Over the years, I’ve been featured in various media articles and interviews. I share them here, in gratitude to the writers and journalists that have taken time out to learn, write, and share what I do as a social entrepreneur and the cause of both Impulse NGO Network and Impulse Social Enterprises.

MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Women are increasingly being trafficked into India’s sex industry from countries outside South Asia that do not have repatriation agreements, which leaves victims trapped in limbo for months after being rescued, officials said.

India has long been a destination for traffickers bringing women from neighboring Bangladesh, which has a repatriation treaty, and Nepal, which works closely with Indian authorities on the issue.

Tussle and Triumph in conversation with Hasina Kharbhih, Ashoka Fellow and Aspen ILI Fellow. Hasina is also the founder and managing director of Impulse Social Enterprises and Founder Chair of Board of Impulse NGO Network, which was conceptualized in 1987. Hasina is credited for creating what is called the Impulse Model for tracking human trafficking. The Impulse Model has been replicated in all eight states of Northeast India. It has been piloted for national replication by the Government of India, and also adopted in Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh.

She has, for 30 years now, been working to provide a sustainable livelihood in a safe environment for women and children. What started out as a mission in her home state of Meghalaya, has today evolved into a global program that aims to put an end to human trafficking and exploitation worldwide.

The Northeast might be culturally and ethnically diverse, but one factor that unites the region and separates it from the rest of India is the status of women here. Social practices such as dowry, female foeticide, honour killing, and child marriages are rare in the Northeast. And despite the region long being a conflict zone and displacements of several communities being common, women in the region are leading the change.

NUH, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – At 15, Raheema left her home in Rakhine state in Myanmar, crossed two international borders and was sold to be married to a man in India just a few years younger than her father.

“He had asked the agent if I was married before. I was single so he bought me for 20,000 Indian rupees (about $300). Married women go for 15,000 rupees,” Raheema, who gave only her first name, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In the last decade, a quiet movement at the grassroots has been changing things in some of India’s Northeast’s villages. A petite warrior has been at the forefront of an anti-trafficking movement in the state in particular and the Northeast and North Bengal in general scaling up to Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh over the last six years. Hasina Kharbhih has been working relentlessly for the last two decades to stop human trafficking and provide livelihood support in rural Northeast through her NGO, Impulse NGO Network. As a grassroots activist and social entrepreneur, Kharbhih has made significant changes in the lives of the people of Northeast India and its neighbouring countries. So, how did it all begin?

Heritage - The New Business Opportunity

TiE CON – DelhiNCR, 16th Dec 2017.

Impulse Social Enterprises Founder & Managing Director, Hasina Kharbhih addressed a Session on “Heritage – The New Business Opportunity” at a TiE CON – DelhiNCR event on Fostering Entrepreneurship, in New Delhi.

At a time when the entire North Eastern region is plagued with the problem of human-trafficking, mostly of people from the vulnerable sections in the society, an initiative by a Social-Entrepreneur from the region, Hasina Kharbhih promises to be a bankable model to curb this major menace. A recipient of the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship, Kharbhih’s initiative, titled the Impulse Model, operates under the six ‘P’s (Partnership, Prevention, Protection, Policing, Press and Prosecution) and five ‘R’s (Report, Rescue, Rehabilitation, Repatriation and Reintegration Re-compensation), and is being expanded across all the states in the region.

Trust Conference 2017: Actions, with Jess Search

LONDON, Nov 13 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – With modern slavery emblazoned in headlines around the world, a growing number of companies and charities are stepping forward to help survivors get something they desperately need – jobs.

From making clothes and furniture in India to cooking, catering and even coding in the United States, such work opportunities are helping former slaves to rebuild their lives.

AIZWAL, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The 17-year-old recalls being excited as she took the car journey and bus ride from her home in northeast India and across the border into Myanmar.
But a few weeks into her stay in Yangon, a phone call to her distraught mother suddenly made her fearful.
“She told me I had illegally crossed into another country,” she said. “My family said I should come back and their tone made me very scared.”

Fight against human trafficking can be complex and tedious but Hasina Kharbhih does not hesitate to take the bull by the horns. At 17, Meghalaya-based Kharbhih walked away from an opportunity to study in London and pursued her work to prevent trafficking, an initiative she had taken up as part of extracurricular activity in school. Since the early 1990s, she had led a group of volunteers who not only worked to end the scourge of trafficking across the north-east but also helped the underprivileged women find sustainable livelihoods.

“I am a person who takes things positively no matter how difficult it is. In short, nothing is impossible and changes can happen. I am a workaholic, totally committed to my work and enjoy what I do. As a social entrepreneur, I am married to my vision and I cannot rest until I fulfil my vision.

Challenges are part of life so the more the challenges there are the more I get inspired and strive hard to accomplish my goal…”

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2013, on 32 percent of women seem to be employed or searching for jobs. Given the fact that women also make up a whopping 69 percent of the ‘discouraged labour force’…

Women have made a mark when it comes to being successful entrepreneurs or leading big organisations across the globe. We have collated a list of 6 social entrepreneurs, who are not only making money in their respective business but are driven by the passion of aiding the social causes they strongly believe in.

“I have faced threats and attacks, and sometimes there are communities that say, No this doesn’t happen to us; it happens to that community but not ours. To make your entry into the community, it often requires a lot of follow up…”

Branding The Northeast: Young Leaders Connect

Ok! Northeast, January 2014

“The third chapter of the Young Leaders Connect organized in Guwahati on November 22, 2013, was attended by dynamic young leaders from the region who shared space to discuss different issues of the Northeast.

Mary Kom, the five-time world champion and Olympic medal winner talked about sporting scene in the NE. The session was chaired by Hasina Kharbih, MD, Impulse. Mary Kom entertained the crowd by speaking about her inspiring challenging journey as a sportsperson.”

Branding The Northeast: Speaking for Ourselves

Eclectic Northeast, January 2014

This 5-page article featured the Young Leaders Connect III conclave held in Guwahati on November 22, 2013. Themed on “Branding Northeast: Speaking for Ourselves” the conclave featured Northeast sports icons Mary Kom and Bhaichung Bhutia, and other young achievers from Northeast who made their mark in diverse fields.

I chaired a conversation with Mary Kom and Bhaichung Bhutia on “the challenges and obstacles faced by sportspersons from the region.”

Social entrepreneurship: Unique and full of challenges

SME Times, January 2014

For this article in the SME Times, I gave an interview about the past, present, and future of Impulse Social Enterprises, and the challenges of social entrepreneurship, especially in the northeast of India.

The Impulse NGO Network located in Shillong, in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya, India has worked against human trafficking for over a decade. Today, it has a presence in most of the north-eastern states in India and works with partner organizations across India and South East Asia to prevent human trafficking.

25 Most Influential Icons

Eclectic Northeast Magazine, November 2012

Eclectic Northeast prominently featured 25 Most Influential Icons of the region in which I was also included.

The magazine chose individuals based on the following criteria: Influence, in creating a palpable change in their own fields of action and in society; Inspiration, for young and old, due to their work, conviction and perseverance; and Impact, in changing the face of the Northeast into a positive and admirable one.

I was chosen based on my efforts to help the people of the northeast through the innovative Impulse Model, and our outreach to rural women in training and marketing handicrafts for national markets, with the aim to bring greater self-sustainability to rural populations.

Hasina Kharbhih: Undaunted

North East Sun, February 2012

“Undaunted by threats and other adversities, Hasina Kharbhih has been waging an unrelenting battle against human trafficking in the North East” says the cover story of the North East Sun.

This six-page story on my life, featured the Meghalaya Model, the human trafficking scenario in North East India, and a formal question and answer section.

Hasina Kharbhih, 40, has spent the better part of her life working for human rights. She started a nonprofit, Impulse, and developed a comprehensive strategy to prevent child trafficking called the Meghalaya Model, which is being applied in eight Indian states.

Femina is India’s first and largest read women’s English magazine that serves as a lifestyle guide for progressive women.

Young Leaders of the Northeast Connect

Assam Times, October 2011

It was a colourful blend of young achievers from various parts of the Northeast as they gathered for the first time in history under the banner “Young Leaders Connect” under the theme ‘Connect, Exchange, Strengthen’ to deliberate discussions on a range of topics.

The topic “Redefining Development through Social Entrepreneurship” was covered by Hasina Kharbhih (Meghalaya), founder of Impulse NGO Network.

FICCI Award for six Northeast Women

Times of India, June 2011

Honoring Women Achievers of Northeast, FICCI Flo NE honored 5 women who have done outstanding work in their chosen fields including Hasina Kharbhih for her work against Child and Women Trafficking and building sustainable livelihood options in the region.

All the achievers were presented with a plaque and a Muga silk stole. The evening ended with high tea.